📖 Meaning
期 means to expect or hope; 然 means 'to be so.' The phrase literally means 'not expected, yet it is so.' It describes an outcome that occurs unexpectedly, contrary to what one anticipated or intended.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a letter by Song dynasty scholar Zheng Qiao (郑樵), titled 'Letter to Brother Jing Wei, Submitted to Privy Councilor Yuwen.' In it, Zheng draws an analogy to a lodestone attracting iron — the two substances are drawn together by an invisible force of qi (气), a phenomenon that happens naturally without deliberate intention. He uses this comparison to illustrate that some things come about of their own accord, unbidden yet inevitable. The expression was later widely adopted in classical Chinese literature to describe unexpected or serendipitous outcomes.
💡 Example Usage
这部默默无闻的小成本电影，竟不期而然地获得了国际大奖。
This obscure low-budget film unexpectedly won an international award.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不期而然
- Pinyin: bù qī ér rán
- Literal Translation: not, expect, yet, so
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4